I am an archaeology and ceramics trained visual art educator who believes that joy and curiosity should be at the centre of students’ school experience. I am interested in project-based, interdisciplinary, student-centred learning. Artists in my classroom have opportunities to pursue their own interests leading to a wide range of diverse outcomes and high levels of student ownership.
G10 student work You don’t see me, You can’t save me (art for social change)
Inter-school. Graffiti Wars extra-curricular competition
As an art teacher, I believe in the power of art to transform one’s view of the world, leading to deeper shared understanding and personal well-being. I see my role as facilitating positive social change. In recent years students have been finalists in the Human Rights Arts Prize in Hong Kong, and have been inspired by their work in class to organise fundraising events for local organisations. Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of my teaching practice, as evidenced by the number of students who choose to take diploma level visual art despite not wanting to pursue a visually creative career.
Innovative approaches
In my present and previous roles, I have constructed concept-based scope and sequences that are grounded in creative thinking, honour student choice, link to the sustainable development goals and rigorously prepare students for IBDP Visual Art and to be global citizens.
My own experience coming to visual art as a mature student informs my art teaching on a daily basis as I can uniquely put myself in my students’ shoes. I continue to develop my own art making skills through regular courses and in my own practice, and enjoy modelling a growth mindset. Through innovative, fun and unusual drawing activities students gain in confidence and skill, and I regularly have parents tell me about their child’s new-found identity as an artist.
Beyond the art studio…
I have extensive experience teaching Theory of Knowledge, which taps into my broad background and diverse interests, and plays to my intellectual strengths. Alumni have contacted me to explain how our explorations transformed their thinking and positively impacted their performance in university-level courses. I was lead planner on several interdisciplinary units with MYP Visual Art, and I worked closely with colleagues from other departments as a learning coach helping them create interdisciplinary units with authentic outcomes.
Future of learning
In my current role I have worked to deepen and critique our understanding of service learning and global citizenship at Markham, running workshops with faculty and students.
As a thought leader at Hong Kong Academy I helped the secondary school transition to a new Future of Learning programme, working with the whole secondary school community and being responsible for scheduling, teacher-development, curriculum design and more. As a result, student-choice is at the heart of students’ experiences, and student-initiated projects engage in real-world issues, with service embedded into the curriculum.